Soul Society
Soul Society|尸魂界 (ソウル・ソサエティ)| is where Shinigami live and is where most Souls dwell until they are reincarnated into the Human World. Soul Society in a Nutshell Soul Society is a haven of which Souls and Shinigami live, after they die as Humans. Thought of as some sort of "divine destination", the Soul Society is not entirely royalty and riches. In fact, the Royal Family is obscure, never seen in public. The two main portions of Soul Society are the Seireitei and the Rukongai. The Seireitei, being the middle portion, controls all of the rules/laws, and is the primary military force. Their basic code of conduct is to protect Soul Society, and to maintain balance. For as long as time can recall, the lifestyle here has been similar to that of Feudal Japan. As old as the Human World is, it is told that Soul Society is even older, being as ancient as the creation of the universe. That said, however, no one except the Royal Family know, and even if anyone else did, they wouldn't speak. Two components of a solved puzzle, the two worlds coexist in a ying-yang theme. If the population goes either too low, or too high, it must be kept at an equilibrium at all costs, as overpopulation would jeopardize the "balance", a highly valued trait in Soul Society. In Soul Society, there are cases of Souls|Soul living up to 5000, if not more, years. Shinigami such as the Head Captain Ryu Takeshi are so historic, that their true age has been lost with time. Most of the Captains are only between the ages of 100 and 1,000; the reason why is because in order to live more than a thousand years, a Souls|Soul must have drastically high Reiatsu. Shinigami and Souls|Soul are far less susceptible to fatal injuries, but will die of wounds as a Human would. If a Souls|Soul dies in Soul Society, they lose all of their memories when they are reborn in the Human World. If a Human dies, they are reborn into Soul Society, but get to keep their memories. That said, the chances of them finding their loved ones are very slim, as Soul Society is extremely large. Getting There As expected, the most common way to access Soul Society is to die. If you die as a Human, you will be transported there after the quest. If you are not a human, or are not dead, it gets a little bit more tricky. There's a portal called a Reishihenkanki, or a Spirit Exchanger, which you can create at a very high level--but, you must be in Souls|Soul form. This is the most effective way for Ryoka to enter Soul Society without permission. Hollows, being able to rip holes in the fabrics of dimensions, can enter Soul Society at will, although it is not advised, as there would be Shinigami awaiting your arrival. Arrancar, on the other hand, can enter using a Garganta, which is the method they use to tear portals out of thin air. Government Spirit King The Spirit King of Soul Society is an entity of great mystery. Not even the Gotei 13 have ever seen the Spirit King, aside from the possibility of the Head Captain, Ryu Takeshi having seen him. He exists in a dimension separate from Soul Society, and it is impossible for anyone to get there, no matter how powerful they are, unless they had access to the King's Key, which is still near impossible, as its location is only known by Ryu Takeshi himself. It is of tradition for the Captain-Commander to pass it down via word of mouth, to avoid it being stolen or breached. If the Spirit King were to die, the fabrics of existence would unwind, and life would cease to exist. Nobility There are many Noble Houses in BleachONLINE, but two hold the most authority in the Seireitei: the Shihoin and the Kuchiki. The head of the Kuchiki family is Tekiro Kuchiki, and the head of the Shihoin family is ???. Legislative/Judiciary Central 46|中央四十六| are the law-makers of the Soul Society, as well as the ultimate judges in what is accepted, and what is not. Their word is never to be contradicted, as they are trusted by the Royal Palace to manage the affairs of Soul Society. There are 46 members, and they are held in the Central 46 Compound, a place where no one is allowed inside. If you are caught fiddling with the door, or trying to break in, you will be executed with no hesitation, regardless of your rank. Laws (Follow These at ALL Times) *The ultimate law is to maintain balance. *It is against the law for a Shinigami to give their spiritual power to Humans. *It is against the law for a Shinigami to use forbidden Kidō. *It is against the law for any citizen of Soul Society to create weapons of a dangerous nature not sanctioned by the feudal government. To do so is treason. *It is against the law to attack a captain. To do so is treason. *It is against the law to commit terrorist action(s) or attempt overthrow of the balance of Soul Society. To do so is treason. *It is against the law to commit murder. *It is against the law to kill a Human that a Shinigami has not been ordered to kill. *It is forbidden for a Shinigami to acquire or attempt to gain Visored|Hollow-like powers. *It is a crime for a Shinigami to remain in the Human World longer than a certain time limit. *It is against the law for the Gotei 13 to meddle in the affairs of the noble families unless the family in question breaks one of the laws of Soul Society beyond a shadow of a doubt. *It is by ancient law that two Shinigami cannot hold the same Zanpakutō. They must fight for the honor of bearing the spirit, with the spirit going to the winner, and the loser being executed. Punishment/Consequence * Exile: If you commit a crime, you may be banished from Soul Society, never to be allowed back. * Detention: The Mobile Corps will hold you in the Maggot's Nest, a place of imprisonment, if you show signs of possible treason or are mentally deranged. * Imprisonment: The Central 46 can sentence a Shinigami to be held in the Central Great Underground Prison|真央地下大監獄| for a set amount of time. The prison has eight levels which prisoners are confined in based on the severity of their crimes. Shugo is the 3rd level of the underground prison. For the crime of treason, The most high-end criminals are sentenced to be imprisoned in Muken|無間|Voided Space, the 8th and final level of the underground prison underneath the barracks. There are two known forms of execution in Soul Society: * Spirit-Sealing Pit: The Spirit-Sealing Pit is an ancient form of execution in which Shinigami criminals are thrown into a pit walled with sekki sekki rock – a type of stone that absorbs spiritual power, preventing those nearby from using their powers. Hollows are then thrown into the pit with the criminals as the means of execution. * Sōkyoku|双殛|Twinned Punishment: The "ultimate punishment", Sōkyoku is a form of execution usually reserved for those with extremely strong spiritual powers, namely Shinigami captains. The Sōkyoku is a giant halberd that utterly destroys a soul on contact. When released, Sōkyoku takes on the form of a phoenix, its true form, called Kikōō. Military The armed forces of Soul Society consist of three independent main branches: the Gotei 13, the Kidō Corps and the Mobile Corps. Gotei 13 The Gotei 13|護廷十三隊|13 Division Imperial Guards are squads which act as the main Military force to protect Soul Society. Each division has a specific role, such as Division 12's purpose in being Research/Development. There are only two exceptions: Kisuri Nagare, in charge of the Kido Corps, and Tekiro Kuchiki, in charge of the Mobile Corps. Royal Guard The Royal Guard are the elite among the elite. They don't take orders from the Central 46, rather, only from the Royal Palace. They are all extremely strong Ex-Captains, who got promoted. There are no known "Squad 0", but they do exist. No Captains know of their existence, besides Ryu Takeshi himself. They take down Menos class Hollow, and are assigned to protect the Spirit King. Kido Corps The Kido Corps|鬼道衆 are a branch off of the military force who work in secret, developing, researching, and experimenting with classified Kido, as well as other mysterious facets. They are rumored to be the ones who are responsible for opening the Senkaimon between the Human world and Soul Society, and are also responsible for releasing the Sōkyoku seal during executions. The Grand Kido Chief, Kisuri Nagare, is seldom seen in Soul Society. Mobile Corps The The Mobile Corps|Mobile Corps is a branch of the military force who deal with Patrol, Detention, and Assassination tactics. They are the "black ops" of BleachONLINE, and are known to be speedy and shady. Their Commander-in-Chief is Tekiro Kuchiki, one of the fastest Captains. Rukongai |'Rukongai'|流魂街|wandering soul city is the largest portion of Soul Society and the most populated. It is divided into districts. Seireitei |'Seireitei'|瀞霊廷|court of pure souls is in the center of Soul Society, a circular castle with four main entrances. It is home to the Shinigami of BleachONLINE, and is the hub for all activity in Soul Society.